Palmetto Breeze wins two state awards

Palmetto Breeze transit won two awards from the South Carolina Department of Transportation last week at the Transportation Association of South Carolina's annual meeting, according to a news release.

SCDOT's Division of Intermodal Planning Office of Public Transit awarded Palmetto Breeze with both the 2014 Human Services Transity Provider of the Year and the 2014 Most Improved Transit System awards.

"We are thrilled to have been recognized for all of our hard work and efforts to achieve this level of recognition in the state," Palmetto Breeze executive director Rochelle Ferguson said in an email Tuesday.

Most Improved Transit System

Doug Frate, deputy secretary for intermodal freight for the DOT, said that while it may not sound prestigious, the Most Improved award is an important one.

"With the challenges of slashed budgets and new regulations, we believe it is notable that an agency can meet these demands and greatly improve their efficiency, and meeting or exceeding compliance requirements is commendable," Frate said.

Human Service Provider of the Year

Frate said the Human Services Provider award goes to provider that has "demonstrated the value of creating partnerships and focusing on the most important ingredient of public transportation - the customer."

"By building coalitions and working together, they have tremendously increased human service ridership," Frate said.

The Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority is the region’s public transportation provider and operates as Palmetto Breeze. The five counties of Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper encompass the service area. The LRTA was established in 1978.

Ferguson said Palmetto Breeze's ridership is up 28 percent from last year.

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